Guardia Civil, within the framework of the so-called "Terral" operation, has arrested two brothers in Malaga who, through the use of multiple false identities, were dedicated to acquiring firearms abroad to subsequently introduce them illegally in Spain and manipulate them in a clandestine workshop at home.
The investigation began at the beginning of this year when, through international police cooperation channels, it became known about a person residing in Spain who had acquired in an Eastern European country several state-of-the-art pistols, originally lethal (caliber 9 mm parabellum) but recalibrated to the flobert system. In this way they are freely sold in that country but not in Spain, where a weapons license is required for their legal acquisition and possession.
These types of weapons are easily manipulated to revert them back to their original caliber (lethal), this being one of the main illegal sources of weapons in Europe.
Specialists in arms trafficking from the “Jefatura de Información” (UCE3) of Guardia Civil began an investigation that revealed that the DNI, used to purchase these weapons, had been falsified using computer programs.
The agents identified this person, a resident of the city of Malaga, who lacked any weapons license. The investigation determined that this first purchase was not an isolated event. This individual had the collaboration of his brother and they forged up to seven IDs to acquire numerous firearms and ammunition in different countries such as Slovakia, the Czech Republic or France.
The weapons acquired were submachine guns classified as weapons of war, pistols and revolvers; Given their small size, they are the most demanded by criminal organizations for their firepower and ease of concealment.
Likewise, in addition to weapons and ammunition, they had also acquired machinery such as a vertical column drill, grinders and other tools and accessories typical of clandestine workshops where firearms are handled. Among this material, a large soundproof booth for professional use stood out, valued at more than 6,000 euros, which was suspected of being used to shoot and test the weapons that they handled in their own home and thus not alert the neighbors.
At the entrance and search of the home, carried out last Wednesday, August 3, these two brothers were arrested and the following weapons and effects were seized:
- Five submachine guns.
- Six guns.
- Six revolvers.
- A semi-automatic tactical shotgun.
- Three electric shock devices disguised under the guise of mobile phones.
- 895 metallic cartridges of different calibers.
- Raw cannon bars, for the artisanal manufacture of cannons
- Numerous pistol and submachine gun chargers.
- A clandestine workshop equipped with tools and machinery for handling firearms, which included a soundproof booth for testing them.
- Copies of falsified DNI with identities of third parties.
- Various computer equipment and documentation for study.
Some of these weapons were loaded with ammunition and ready to be used at any time, with the danger that this poses both for the acting agents and for citizen security, which meant that a large security device had to be set up to carry out the arrests and register.
After being brought to justice, both detainees have entered provisional prison.
This operation has been carried out by the “Jefatura de Información” (UCE 3) of Guardia Civil with the support of “Grupo de Información de la Comandancia de Málaga”, “Sección de Información de Andalucía”, “Grupo de Acción Rápida” (GAR), “Servicio Cinológico” (weapon detection dog); as well as with the Slovak National Crime Agency, the French National Gendarmerie, the Czech Republic police and EUROPOL.
In the last six years, the “Jefatura de Información” of Gardia Civil has carried out more than 109 operations against arms trafficking networks.
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